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The sports genre seems to be hot right now in the anime and manga community. With Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura’s Blue Lock flying high, it seemed to have inspired several mangakas to follow the sports genre. Initially, it was Slam Dunk, and later, it was Haruichi Furudate’s Haikyu that inspired a generation to follow the sports genre.
While Blue Lock is busy carrying the baton, another manga debuts that might share the task. Kei Kurumazaki and Sotaro Nishii’s Embers manga debuted on February 2, 2025, and has started to make quite a name for itself. Like Blue Lock, it also deals in soccer. After reading the first chapter, fans expect great things from it, especially how it showcases the protagonist’s strengths and weaknesses.
Embers Follows A Delinquent Turned Footballer’s Journey
Embers is the latest addition to the sports genre manga, following the life of Noboru Haitani. Noboru Haitani is a delinquent and is regarded as the best brawler in his school. While all the teachers despise him, a newly joined teacher, Oshimi, tries to handle him differently. Instead of scolding or punishing him, he challenges him in a game of soccer.
The rules are simple, if Haitani is able to take the ball from Oshimi sensei’s feet, then he wins. However, after trying for an entire day, he was unable to take the ball back. It gave his first taste of defeat. Haitani was given a task, and only after completing it, he could challenge Oshimi sensei again. Every time he completed the task and challenged Oshimi sensei, Haitani suffered crushing defeats.
While it demotivated his friends watching him continue his losing streak, it piqued his interest in soccer. Watching that he was successful in changing Haitani’s mind, Oshimi sensei advised him to join the preliminaries of the soccer tournament for schools. Even though Haitani had impressive blocking skills, they had to face Itadai High School.
Their star player, Yuga Takami, was last season’s top scorer. Itadai won by eight goals to zero, with Takami scoring the last one. While Haitani had a brilliant game, he was unable to block Takami for the entire time. Leaving the field with tears, he vowed to win every match and joined Kosei University-affiliated high school to pursue his career in soccer.
Embers Bring A New Perspective To Soccer
Embers has the sports community talking about its unique setting. The first chapter did a commendable job of establishing what kind of character the protagonist is. It also cleared his motive and personality. Fans have already started to compare it with other popular anime like Blue Lock, Slam Dunk, Kuroko no Basket, etc.
While it is still early to comment, Embers chapter 1 has hyped up the fandom. Another aspect that was uplifted by Embers was the protagonist being a defender. Other sports manga, especially soccer-related ones portray their protagonists to be attackers or midfielders who have flair and can change the game with their charisma.
However, there has hardly ever been anything focused on defenders. There is a popular saying in soccer “Attack wins you matches, while defense wins you titles.” The mangaka will most likely focus on that saying and bring about a new perspective toward defenders and create something new and refreshing.
Embers manga is available on Viz Media and Manga Plus.
Priyanko is currently pursuing his Master’s in Economics. He loves to read manga or watch anime in his spare time. He is a massive fan of One Piece, Naruto, and Haikyu. Amidst the Great Pirating Era, he wishes to become the greatest Hokage, even though he is short.
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